Mistake
by flyaway89
Summary: At age 5, he met her. At age 6, he hated her. At age 16, he fell in love with her. At age 28, he regrets never telling her. TROYELLA, Troypay oneshot


**Name: Mistake  
****Rating: T  
****Genre: Romance/Hurt/Comfort/Tragedy  
****Summary: At age 5, he met her. At age 6, he hated her. At age 16, he fell in love with her. At age 28, he regrets never telling her. TROYELLA, Troypay**

**WARNING: CHARACTER DEATH**

_Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical 1 or 2 or anything affiliated with it._

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**Troy Bolton remembers the day he met Gabriella Montez.** **It was his 5****th**** birthday, and he had been helping his best friend, Chad Danforth, construct a cube basketball out of Lego blocks.**

He remembers how Gabriella had walked into East Preschool, crying and clinging onto her mother's leg. Chad had called her a scaredy cat but something about this small brunette girl interested Troy.

Two weeks later, Troy rounded up as much information as he could get on this girl. For one, he found out what her name was, and that she had a passion for reading. He knows she likes spaghetti Bolognese and Chinese food. He knows she hangs out with Taylor McKessie, Martha Cox and Kelsi Nielson under the foyer. But the thing that interested him most was the fact that she shared the same birthday as him.

**When Troy Bolton turned 6, he found out that his and Gabriella Montez's parents were childhood friends. **Not only that, but he and Gabriella were born in the same country, same state, same city and same hospital. In fact, they had been born in rooms next to each other.

"Oh my god Isabella, it _is_ you!" Troy recalled his mother shrieking at Gabriella's mother, their arms flung around each other, hugging. Coach Bolton and Mr Montez shook hands and talked and laughed about the past, while Troy and Gabriella stared at them, looking at each other occasionally.

That was also the day Troy and Gabriella declared war on each other. That afternoon, just after they found out about their family's long term friendship, she had shouted at him for pushing her out of the line to get morning tea, he called her stupid, and the argument had ended with Gabriella giving him a hard slap on the cheek, saying he was a self absorbed, arrogant pig. Of course, the only word Troy knew was pig.

**When Troy Bolton turned 9, Gabriella Montez became jealous of all the attention he was receiving. **Troy could feel her heated glares as he walked down the halls of his school, the crowd parting like the Red Sea. Troy smirked, he was winning the war.

"Why do WE have to fight our way through the crowds while _he_ gets around so easily?" Taylor McKessie had asked her friends one day.

"'Cos everyone in this stupid school worships him. Why they do that is beyond me – the only things he's good at are basketball and bullying people," Gabriella retorted, keeping her eye on the school's young jock.

**When Troy Bolton turned 11, he realised just how vulnerable Gabriella Montez was. **Taylor was at home sick, Martha was in detention and Kelsi was in the Music Room, so she was sitting alone, under a tree, looking lonely, sad and depressed. Troy realised that even the geekiest of geeks were still nothing without their friends. And although they were sworn enemies, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

He began walking towards her, but his crowd of followers suddenly appeared, sweeping him away. Troy looked over his shoulder at the small brunette.

**When Troy Bolton turned 13, he met Sharpay Evans. **Her family had moved from New York. She was rich, dramatic and very over the top. Her giggling and nasal voice annoyed him a lot, and yet so many people were encouraging them to get together. What was the problem with these people? He would rather date Gabriella Montez than that blonde drama queen.

**When Troy Bolton turned 15, he saved Gabriella Montez. **It was another stupid house party that some popular wannabe was holding at her house. Once Troy had entered the house, he knew that this was the typical type. The one with alcohol, people making out on couches…which would eventually end up in a bedroom. Troy pushed his way through the throng of crazy teenagers, shaking off the girls throwing themselves at him. He spotted Gabriella in a corner, looking slightly uncomfortable as a boy invaded her personal space.

Troy shifted closer to them, only to hear Gabriella's protests as the boy advanced upon her. With a growl, the boy's mouth was pushed upon Gabriella's and his hand disappeared under her shirt.

Troy, to put it bluntly, was infuriated. He stomped towards Gabriella, pulled the guy off her and punched him squarely in the face.

"Don't you **ever** do that to Gabriella again," Troy growled. The boy gave a quick nod, holding his broken nose and scampered off.

Troy looked down to see Gabriella looking up at him, giving him a shaky smile.

"Thanks," she breathed as Troy wrapped his arms around her.

That had been the first time Troy saw Gabriella as a person, not his enemy. After that day, they became best friends and were inseparable.

**When Troy Bolton turned 16, he fell in love with Gabriella Montez. **East High had slowly gotten used to their golden boy becoming best friends with their resident geek. It had shocked many people when Troy turned up in the morning talking to Gabriella, an arm occupied holding her books.

That was over a year ago. Now, the same scene was unfolding again. Only this time, Troy feels happy, bubbly and…in love. Yes, Troy Bolton is in love with Gabriella Montez.

**When Troy Bolton turned 17, he began dating Sharpay Evans. **Troy didn't even know why he asked her out. Was it to make Gabriella jealous? Or to fill the empty void in his heart? Either excuse, the solution didn't work. Troy didn't feel anything when he kissed Sharpay, or hugged her, or looked into her eyes. It was because his heart plainly and solely belonged to Gabriella.

**When Troy Bolton turned 21, he married Sharpay Evans. **Standing at the altar, he couldn't help but feel empty. He looked at Gabriella, his loyal best friend, almost begging her to suddenly bellow 'I object!', then go on to confess her undying love for him. But her expression never changed as she played with the hem of her bridesmaid dress, looking down.

Troy sighed and looked away, missing the look of sadness and hurt in Gabriella's eyes when she looked up at him.

Within minutes, Troy and Sharpay were Mr and Mrs Bolton. The blonde was glowing with pride, while the shaggy brown headed man put on a fake smile. He would do anything for the person in the wedding dress standing next to him to be Gabriella. He wanted it to be Gabriella Bolton. Troy didn't even know what possessed him to make him even consider marrying Sharpay, but what was done was done.

'_This is it Troy,' _he thought bitterly. _'Welcome to your new life'_

**When Troy Bolton turned 22, he became a father.** William Chad and Amelia Grace were born into the world.

Holding his newborn son in his arms while his wife was cooing at their small daughter, Troy wondered what to name him.

"I would love to name my baby William…after my father," Troy remembered Gabriella saying on a summer afternoon a few years back. He had kept that in mind when he named his baby boy.

Upon handing and introducing William to Gabriella, her eyes had widened as a look of shock and realisation set in on her face. She knew why he chose that name.

**When Troy Bolton turned 28, he found himself standing in front of a grave, his impatient wife and two five year old children beside him. **Kneeling in front of the cold slab of stone, he traces the words engraved on it.

_RIP Gabriella Montez_

_Born 18 October 1988_

_Died 14 October 2014_

_Aged 26 at death_

_Much Loved Daughter and Friend_

Troy remembers Chad telling him she died of a broken heart. He remembers the way Chad shook his head and put his hand on Troy's shoulder. "You should've gone for her man," Chad had said. To this day, Troy still agrees.

Troy remembers Taylor telling him how hurt Gabriella was when she looked into his children's eyes to see a mixture of Sharpay and Troy staring back at her. "She always secretly had a dream that you two would be the ones settling down," Taylor said as she pulled Troy into a corner at Gabriella's funeral. "That you two would get married, have little Troy's and Gabriella's…" Taylor's eyes had filled up with tears as Troy, fighting tears of his own, patted her back awkwardly.

Troy curses himself for never telling Gabriella how he feels. He wonders where they would be now if he had confessed his feelings back 12 years ago, when they were 16. Would they have gotten married? Would they have lived in a little white house with a picket fence? Would they have gotten the two golden retrievers that Gabriella had always dreamed about getting when they were teenagers? Would they have beautiful mini Troy's and Gabriella's running around, all with **his** bright blue eyes and **her** curly brunette hair?

A small tug at his sleeve brings Troy back to reality.

"Daddy, who is that?" William Chad asks his father, his blonde hair bouncing, brown eyes shining, his small fingers pointing to the picture of his godmother, resting above her tombstone.

"That…" Troy pauses, thinking of a suitable description. "-Is Daddy's best friend."

"And Mommy's worst enemy," he hears Sharpay mumble. He shrugs it off.

"She's very pretty," Amelia Grace comments, observing the picture of her father's secret crush.

At this, Sharpay Bolton (nee Evans) scoffs. Troy turns around and stares at his wife, looking into her eyes that reflected arrogance and pride.

Yes, Troy Bolton knows he has made the biggest mistake of his life.

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Hey peeps! I got inspiration for this story while lying in bed at 10:30 at night. I read a story a few days ago that seemed vaguely like this story…but I swear I didn't steal his/her story! 

Please leave a review!


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